Piston



May 20, 1924; 1,495,105

- I.R.HCKENS v PISTON Filed Aug. 15. 1923 INVENTOR [m R P/cAens I ATTORNEY I Patented May 2%, 192 5.

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IRA R. PICKENS, OF TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA.

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Application filed August 15, 1923. Serial No, 657,573.

1/ '0 all 10. mm 2'25 may concern:

Be it known that I, IRA R. lPioKENs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Terre Haute, in the county of Vigo and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pistons, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to pistons for internal combustion engines and it especially has for its object to provide a piston with means to take up wear and thus prevent the noise commonly known as piston slap.

In its general nature, the piston comprising my invention is made in-halves fitted together with the plane of separation passing vertically through the longitudinal axis of the piston and the axis of the connecting rod pin socket of the piston, the halves being fitted together with vertical and transverse keys in grooves of the opposing faces of the halves, one of the keys cooperating with the usual compression piston ring in the top ring groove of the piston to effect a compression seal and prevent gas leakage; the vertical keys having provision for taking up the wear by separating the piston halves to compensate therefor.

In its more detail nature, the invention includes those novel details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be first fully described, then be specifically pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 1-1 of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross section taken on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the piston.

Figure 4 is an inverted plan view of the same. I

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the top cross head-key.

. Figure 6 is a perspective view of the cross head-key.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of one of the vertical wedge keys.

In the drawings, in which like numerals and letters of reference indicate like parts in all of the figures, 11 represent the piston halves of which 2 is the head and 13 the apron. The two halves of the piston are synnnetrical and. fit together, as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4. The opposing halves of the sections or halves of the piston have horizontal key slots 3 and 4 in the head and vertical key slots .7 in the apron, the key slots 7 extending into the head portion, as shown. 5 is the top head-key which lies in the slot 3 and 6 is the lower head-key which lies in the slot 4:, the key 6 having its ends stepped to fit over the upper piston ring indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1 and cooperate with it to effect a seal against compression escape.

The vertical keys 8 which fit in the slot 7 are of tapered wedge shape, as are also the slots 7, and are adapted to be forced toward their smaller ends (upwardly) by springs 10 located in spring pockets 9 and held in place by cotter pins 12 and washers 11. I

In the practical embodiment of the invention the key 6 is so designed as to cooperate with the top compression ring and prevent gas leaking, the key extending the full diameter of the piston. As the wear in the cylinder is principally on the sides of the cylinder wall at right angles tothe plane of separation of the piston members, there will be little or no wear on the ends of the keys 6 so that in fitting the piston originally to the cylinder, a key 6 of a length equal to the diameter of the piston will function properly. The length of the key should be sufiicient to lap over the piston ring enough to prevent leakage between the abutting face of the key and piston ring.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the complete construction and advantages of my invention will be readily clear to those skilled in the art.

What I claim is: V

1. In a piston, two halves separated along a vertical plane and having head key slots, keys therein, said halves having longitudinal key slots, tapering keys in said longitudinal slots, means continuously tending to move said tapering keys to effect separa tion of said halves, said halves having compression and oil ring grooves for the re.- ception of the usual piston rings.

2. In a piston, two symmetrical sections separated on the central vertical longitudinal plane of the piston, the opposing faces of said sections each having a cross key slot in the head, a cross key in said slots, said sections having vertical key slots in their opposing faces, tapered keys in said vertical slots, springs engaging the larger end of said keys, means to hold said springs in place, said cross key having provisions to sections fitted together along a longitudinal plane, the opposing faces of! said sections having a pair of cross key slots in the head,

and a pair of vertical key slots in the apron and having the usual piston ring external grooves, one of said cross key slots inthe head merging with one of said piston ring grooves, cross keys in said head slots, Wedge:

keys in said vertical slots, and spring devices for pressing said Wedge keys, all being arranged substantially as shown and described.

IRA RJPIGKENs. 

